* Microsoft updates Windows Server 2003
Microsoft chose last week, the last full week of the work calendar’s summer season in the U.S., to release a flock of operating systems-related news and software. Numerous theories for the multiple releases abounded, none accounted for all the activity so we won’t bother repeating them here. Instead, we’ll take a look at what was announced and discuss how it can help or hinder you in your job and on your network.
The two software releases will most likely impact you the most. Windows Server 2003 Release 2 (Win2K3 R2) Release Candidate Zero was made available for download on the Microsoft Web site.
Here we can see the folly of Microsoft’s operating system naming strategy. Wouldn’t “NT 6.5” be a lot easier to talk about than “Windows Server 2003 Release 2”?
At about the same time, a beta version of the long-touted “new” file system, dubbed the “Windows File System” or WinFS, was made available to developers through the Microsoft Developers Network Web site. Unless you’re a registered developer, you can’t get to it just yet.
In other news last week, Redmond released a roadmap for the Windows Small Business Server (SBS) product. The currently shipping Windows Small Business Server 2003 is built on Windows Server 2003 SP1. Once Win2K3 R2 is released, a new SBS 2003 based on the new release will be unveiled. That should be due three to four months after Win2K3 R2 ships, which is still scheduled for late this year. Then, following the release of “Longhorn” server late in 2006, a new version of SBS – codenamed “Cougar” – based on Longhorn will make its way to market in mid-2007.
That is a lot of news to assimilate, especially when many of you were taking this last chance to soak up some rays before the kids head back to school. Over the next few issues, I’ll break it down into more manageable pieces. Coming in the next issue is a look at Win2K3 R2, what will change and what will improve. Not all changes will be improvements, though. Stay tuned!
